The Crew bested Sporting KC 4-1 in premier preseason professional soccer tournament at ESPN Wide World of Sports

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (March 1, 2014)–The Columbus Crew’s high-powered offense proved too much for Sporting KC, the defending MLS Cup champions. The Crew jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period, and never relinquished their advantage after halftime, putting up three more goals before Sporting KC scored its first and only goal of the night to avoid being shutout.

The Crew arrived at the championship match after defeating Toronto FC and Philadelphia Union during the first two days of pool play, before tying with Orlando City SC 4-4 on the final day of pool play.

In 2013, the Crew faced the Montreal Impact in the Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic title game, but came up short in a 1-0 loss.

The day featured a full lineup of action, beginning with a matchup between the Fluminense FC U23 team and Toronto FC. Fluminense FC scored 4 goals after being blanked throughout the previous three days of competition to beat Toronto FC with a final score of 4-2.

Philadelphia Union and the 2013 Disney Pro Soccer classic champions, Montreal Impact played next in a highly-contested match, ending the 90 minutes of regulation with a 1-1 tie before going into penalty kicks. Philadelphia Union edged out Montreal Impact 4-1 in kicks to win the match 2-1 (4-1 PK).

The third match featured hometown favorite Orlando City SC squaring off against the New York Red Bulls, the 2014 MLS regular season champions. The match featured thrilling offense in the second period, with six total goals scored during the 45 minutes, eventually resulting in a 4-4 tie. Orlando City SC will return to the ESPN Wide World of Sports on March 29 to open its 2014 home season schedule.

2014 Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic Tournament Records

Columbus Crew 3-0-1

Sporting KC 3-1-0

New York Red Bulls 2-1-1

Orlando City SC 0-0-4

Philadelphia Union 1-1-2

Montreal Impact 1-3-0

Fluminense FC 1-3-0

Toronto FC 0-2-2